DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 02: TJ Brodie #7 of the Calgary Flames celebrates a second-period goal with teammates while playing the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on January 02, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. Calgary won the game 4-3.Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

DETROIT — The Calgary Flames better order an extra case of purple Gatorade.

Or maybe an extra pallet.

The Flames’ ultra-talented top trio was the difference yet again in Wednesday’s 5-3 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena, factoring on four tallies — including two on the power play — and toasting all of ’em with a gulp of goodness from Gaudreau’s bottle of what sure seems like magic mix.

Indeed, this has been a winning recipe for the NHL’s Pacific Division-leading crew from Calgary.

Hours after scoring an invite to the 2018 NHL All-Star Game, Gaudreau piled up three assists before notching the game-winner near the midway mark of the third in Wednesday’s victory over the Red Wings.

Lindholm ripped the equalizer in the final minute of the second period and also collected a pair of helpers, establishing a new career-high for points (47) in a season on the same night that the Flames reached the halfway point on their calendar.

Monahan buried one of his own to go along with an apple.

“That’s what that line has done all year — they’ve turned games around for us,” said goalie Mike Smith, who delivered 29 saves in Calgary’s crease. “It was no different (Wednesday night).”

There was a lot to digest for the Flames’ faithful.

There was reason to worry when the Flames recalled netminder Jon Gillies from the minors, announcing that surprise standout David Rittich would be unavailable against the Red Wings due to a lower-body injury.

There was reason to celebrate when Gaudreau was selected to the Pacific Division all-star squad for a fifth consecutive season.

There was reason to wonder, again, how Lindholm had never posted more than 45 points in any of his five previous campaigns at hockey’s highest level.

Acquired in a draft-day blockbuster with the Carolina Hurricanes, the 24-year-old has been a dandy fit alongside Gaudreau and Monahan on the first line.

“Our chemistry has been getting better and better,” Gaudreau said. “Me and Mony feel like we’ve been playing with Lindy for three or four years now, with how smart of a player he is, how skilled he ice, how well he sees the ice …

“I said earlier in the season that I feel this is the most chemistry we’ve had with a player since (Jiri Hudler) left. And I think you could even say we have more chemistry with him rather than Huds.”

High praise, indeed.

That chemistry was key after the Red Wings staked to a 2-0 lead on first-period strikes by Darren Helm and Jacob de la Rose.

After Gaudreau was stymied on his first of several all-alone opportunities, Lindholm set up Monahan for a no-doubter to get the out-of-towners rolling.

It was soon tied, with Gaudreau and Lindholm both notching assists when the Wings’ all-star goalie, Jimmy Howard, whiffed as he tried to snag TJ Brodie’s shot from the point.

Before Brodie’s marker was even announced, Andreas Athanasiou cashed on a penalty-shot to reclaim the lead, but the Flames’ go-to guys were thirsty for more Gatorade.

With less than a minute remaining in the second stanza, Lindholm ticketed a wrister for the top shelf for a man-advantage marker.

Gaudreau eventually solved the stalemate, capitalizing on a sweet feed from power-play pal Matthew Tkachuk, who certainly deserved a squirt of purple potion after a beauty backhand pass from beyond the goal-line.

That was all the run support Smith would need. His best save of the night came about two minutes later, when he denied Gustav Nyquist despite having another opponent parked on his doorstep.

Smith has mostly served as the sidekick to Rittich in recent weeks, but, with the Calgary Police Service cowboy-hat on his sweaty lid for post-game interviews, he cautioned that something-to-prove is not an effective approach for a masked man.

“I think I did that last game, and it didn’t turn out too well,” said Smith, who improved to 12-8-1 on the season. “Obviously, you want to play well, and when you’re not playing a lot, it’s a little more difficult sometimes. But I just focused on being relaxed, letting the puck come to me and being big in there. It didn’t go as we planned to start the game, but I thought we stuck with it, myself included.

“I just said I was going to battle. I know this team can come back, and fortunately, we did.”

Michael Frolik sealed the win over the Red Wings with a late empty-netter.

The Flames will be back in action Thursday, battling with the Bruins at TD Garden in Boston (5 p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan.)

In Calgary Flames’ club lore, only one cast collected more points prior to the midway mark on the regular-season schedule.

And the 1988-99 edition, you might recall, continued the momentum and made it the most memorable campaign on local record.

No pressure, gents.

With Wednesday’s 5-3 win in the Motor City, this current crew of Flames finished the first half of their 82-game slate with a 25-12-4 record, good for 54 points in the standings.

That’s tied for the second-best start in the franchise history books. On four other occasions, most recently in 2008-09, they have managed to bank 54 points through 41 outings.

The 1988-89 Flames hit that mileage marker with 60 (!). That’s another stratosphere, but there is still a lot to like about what this current crew has shown so far.

“I like the competitiveness of our group. I really like our locker room. I like the vibe around our guys,” said Flames skipper Bill Peters after Wednesday’s morning skate. “I like the fact we believe we can win every time we show up to the rink. We can win on the road. We can win at home. Next year, we’ll win on the neutral site.

“That’s what it’s all about — it’s finding a group that’s competitive and enjoys being around each other and push each other to get better every day. And that’s what our group does.”

The neutral site that Peters is referring to, of course, is Mosaic Stadium in Regina — host of the just-announced outdoor clash between the Flames and Winnipeg Jets in October in the next instalment of the Heritage Classic.

Truth is, the Flames aren’t looking nearly that far ahead.

Not to April.

Certainly not into next season.

Not if they want to maintain their perch atop the Pacific Division standings.

“I think we’ve won a lot of different ways,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano, assessing the first half. “We’ve been able to shut teams down when we’ve had to. We’ve been able to score when we’ve had to. So we’ve been able to put together different types of wins.

“I think our mentality, it has given us a lot of confidence being where we are in the standings. But our goal, obviously, is to solidify our spot and get into those playoffs.”

The Flames weren’t at their finest Wednesday against the Red Wings, but they managed to tuck two more points in their pockets.

“I thought we got better as it went,” Peters said. “It wasn’t a Picasso, but we’ll take the two points.”

Added Mike Smith, the winning goalie against the Wings: “We didn’t play our best hockey game (Wednesday night), but this team just finds ways to win hockey games.”

AROUND THE BOARDS

All-star snubs are a side-effect of having a top-notch team. Gaudreau, tabbed Wednesday to rep the Pacific Division at the annual showcase, was a no-brainer and if the San Jose Sharks — employers of fan-favourite blue-liners Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson — weren’t hosting later this month, Giordano would have been a shoo-in instead of just one of the names on the ‘Last Man In’ ballot. You could also make a case for Monahan or Tkachuk or even Rittich. More all-star options than all-star attendees is a good sign … Now that he’s been named the NHL’s second star of the month, Gaudreau’s stat-line from a dominant December is worth another look — 11 goals, 26 points, nine-multiple point performances and a plus-15 rating, all in 14 outings. Whoa … With another offensive outburst in Detroit, Gaudreau became just the third guy in Flames’ franchise history — and the first since the high-scoring ’80s — to register four-plus points in consecutive contests. Kent Nilsson pulled that off twice, while Doug Gilmour is the only other name on the list. Impressive company.

OFF THE GLASS

Despite not dressing in Detroit, Rittich is travelling with the team, a hint that his lower-body ailment likely won’t keep him on shelf for long. In fact, Peters told reporters that “there is a chance” he could be back between the pipes Thursday as the Flames wrap this back-to-back in Boston. “We’ll see how he responds to treatment,” Peters said. “If everything goes well, then he’s an option for tomorrow” … Sportsnet’s ace insider, Elliotte Friedman reported in his weekly 31 Thoughts notebook that Treliving is shopping for a left-handed defenceman. It’s a credit to the performance of Oliver Kylington that Treliving can afford to be patient. Kylington, 21, has been solid since being recalled from the minors after fellow rookie (and fellow lefty) Juuso Valimaki suffered a high-ankle sprain. The Flames hope Valimaki could return to action later this month but that’s the kind of injury that can hamper a guy for weeks or months even after he’s green-lighted, so it makes sense that Treliving is poking around the trade market for an insurance policy … The Flames ended Dylan Larkin’s point-spree at 14 games. The Red Wings speedster was riding the NHL’s longest active ripper.

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